Two Faces
by TraciWh0Rors
Summary: It started with the look Hiruzen gave him one day, purely by accident. It led to thoughts, actions, treason and plans that could destroy the Elemental Nations. In truth, all he wanted was a family, and he would get one whether those judgemental assholes liked it or not.
1. chapter 1

Naruto's P.O.V

I suppose I should have been more excited about my birthday. I should have worn my goggles, grinned brightly, proclaimed my dream to be Hokage and made various annoying statements ending with 'dattebayo'.

I was not in the mood.

The tenth of October meant different things to different people.

To some, it was a reminder of the day the Kyubi no Youko attacked Konohagakure.

To others, it was the day the Yondaime Hokage sacrificed himself to save the village. Truthfully, this was the same thing as the first meaning, but people loved to differentiate between them.

For this reason, there was a festival held every year on that day. People used it as an opportunity to pay their respects tall those who died in the attack, to revel in the glory that was the Yondaime Hokage, to celebrate another year without incident.

It was also the day to be more... direct with their hatred of me. Usually, the villagers ignored me. They gossiped about me, they instructed their children to stay away from me and they made me regret my very existence.

I felt it better to be physically abused than to be treated as though I was a plague. Alas, they did not touch me.

On my birthday, they made sure to vandalize my home, wreak havoc on my kitchen and shred my clothes. It was a mess.

Two years ago, I'd been kicked out of the orphanage, so Jiji got me an apartment and gave me an allowance once a month.

I continue to wonder how dense he could be to give me, five and a half years old at the time, a home in the red light district.

This led up to now.

I woke up, feeling uncharacteristically low. I rubbed at my eyes, clearing my vision. I wasn't ready to wake up. I was still bone tired.

Nevertheless, I left my bedroom and went to the living room, blindly making my way to the kitchen through half lidded eyes.

I smelled it before I saw it. My walls decorated with poop, couch designed with claw marks and rug soaked with a questionable yellow looking liquid.

I'd scrunched up my nose in disgust, tempted to hurl. Of course, I couldn't. I didn't have anything in my stomach to hurl.

Sniffling slightly with tears threatening to escape my stinging eyes, I walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge.

Milk.

Jam.

Watermelon.

Water.

Nothing interesting. Nothing nutritious. And I certainly wasn't in the mood for ramen, which was strange considering I was Uzumaki Naruto, self-proclaimed ramen addict.

I settled for eating the watermelon and the seeds as well. I'd never been told otherwise.

Somehow, I managed to ignore the stench of my living room and walked back to my bedroom. I set aside the clothes I intended to wear; a black shirt with an orange Uzumaki spiral on the front, forest green shorts and black sandals, before making my way to the bathroom and performing my daily routine.

Fully dressed twenty minutes later, I left my apartment and made my way to the Hokage tower, studiously avoiding the villagers. As I mentioned earlier, they didn't touch me or even speak to me, but they didn't have to.

Their expressions spoke volumes of the complete and utter loathing they had for me.

Everyone ignored me as I slowly made my way up the stairs, still rubbing my eyes. When I finally reached the doors to Jiji's office, I had to stop and catch my breath.

Whoever thought it was a good idea to design the tower with fifty stairs must have been pure evil.

Or a ninja. There really wasn't much difference.

"Ohayo jiji," I yawned after pushing the doors to his office opened.

The Hokage who had come to be my grandfather figure sat alone in his office. He wore a smile on his face and in that moment I fully believed that smiling made one look younger. His wrinkles were still present, as were the liver spots on his light brown skin. His hair and beard were still white, as were his traditional Kage robes and hat with a few touches of red here and there.

It was starting to scare me a bit that I hadn't even considered putting on the Kage hat, if only to further enforce my dream to be Hokage. But I was so unnaturally tired and I ignored it, attributing my slight change in attitude to the fatigue.

For once, stacks of paperwork did not occupy the table. Instead, there sat a bowl of dumplings, a variety of fruit drinks, dango and ramen noodles.

"Happy birthday, Naruto-kun," jiji said as I practically tumbled into his arms behind the desk.

My eyes grew as wide as saucers as I stared at all the food in front of me.

"It's all mine, jiji?" I asked, eyes still trained on the table.

Jiji chuckled. "Of course, Naruto-kun. It's your birthday, you can have whatever you want," he told me.

I think I grinned for a split second, before descending on the food and practically inhaling it.

While I ate, I wondered what my mother's cooking would've tasted like. Would it be mouthwatering like this, or sour like the orphanage food? A feeling of pain washed over me I had to pause. Who was my mother anyway?

I'd asked jiji who my parents were a number of times, but he always said he'd tell me when I was old enough.

Hope blossomed in my chest as I decided that I was old enough to know.

"Jiji?"

No answer.

I twisted around to look at the Hokage and called him again.

Still no answer.

He had this faraway look in his eyes, as though he was recalling a long forgotten memory. At a point, his eyes took a hard glint and the temperature seemed to drop.

I gasped for air, choking on my juice.

Was this what KI felt like? It was terrifying.

"Jiji!" I wheezed, yanking on his robes.

My grandfather turned to look at me, and his glare chilled me into my bones.

"Why...?" I struggled to say. Why was he doing this? What was going on?

A fog seemed to clear from his eyes. He blinked rapidly.

"Naruto?"

I stared at him, mouth agape, body completely shaken, sweating all over.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Came the Hokage's voice again.

I shook my head, getting to my feet and wobbling a bit.

"Naruto." He was firmer this time. I flinched, he furrowed his brows.

I turned around and ran, away from his office away from the tower. I wasn't sure where this path led to but I just had to get away from that- that- that two-faced man!

I paused in what seemed to be a cherry blossom garden as a thought occurred to me.

Was it possible that every ninja had two faces? Was it possible that the Hokage's niceness was all an act?

A/N

I never liked Hiruzen, and Tsunade, just so you know. But I'm not bashing them.

Leave a review please.


	2. Chapter 2

Ichigo's P.O.V

I didn't like the fact that I could see pluses. I mean, wasn't it bad enough that I had orange hair and the temper of a bull on steroids? Apparently not. I could hardly tell them apart from normal people, and the worst part was my hand didn't go through them like in movies. So long as I could see them, I could touch them and hear them too.

Everyday, it was one brawl after the other, because apparently it was fun to pick on the small, orange haired weird kid who talked to himself. Tatsuki thought I was a brat, and liked to rant about looking before leaping, but she always backed me up. She never could resist. We never lost to anyone but eachother - the score was 7 to 11 and as much as I would love to say she was only in the lead because I didn't like hitting girls, I'd be lying. She was just really, really good.

We'd go to my house after school, and after leaving the dojo with more and more bruises, and my dad being wacky as usual. He would intentionally make it hurt as he treated us, to teach us a lesson, but he gave up when we turned eight.

It was... nice. Tatsuki was family. My best friend and first sister, until Yuzu and Karin. Dad was dad, a crazy old man who would do anything mom said the moment she fluttered her lashes - Tatsuki sometimes did it to try and catch me off guard, and only succeeded in blinding herself. Mom was mom, proud of me for standing up for myself, but also reminding me to not become a hooligan.

I wanted to protect her. To protect all of them. But I couldn't even do that, huh?

It was on the 17th of June a year later that I realized I absolutely loathed pluses. All of them. Loitering about. Moaning and wailing. It wasn't my fault they were dead, so why did I have to listen to them, huh? It was their fault mom died. Or maybe it was mine for deciding to be nice and try to save that stupid brat by the river.

It didn't matter anyway. I couldn't protect mom.

Weeks later, I was still a mess. I stopped going to the dojo, and ignored all the teasing at school. My mom was dead, and they were being petty because of hair color? Yeah, I wasn't about to fall for it anymore.

Tatsuki still came over everyday, helped me with homework, and silently followed me to the river, even though we both know there was nothing to be found there. She didn't nag me anymore, but never failed to rile me up ever so often, always asking for a fight. I always said no.

"My fighting days are over, Tatsu," I shrugged, my knees pulled up to my chin as I stared at the kids playing soccer in the park.

"You're just saying that," she scoffed. "I bet you'll be up and at me again whenever you decide you're done moping."

I was almost offended. Almost. Moping wasn't quite the word I'd use, after all, but mom was as much hers as she was mine, so I held my tongue.

"I'm telling you, I'm done."

She looked at me out of the corner of her eye, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Why?"

I shrugged. "I think I'd rather help than hurt."

"Helping was what-" she stopped short, glancing away guiltily.

I stiffened at the words, but otherwise remained still.

Helping was what got her killed, was what she'd almost said.

"Well," I sucked in a breath, "how come you're... over it already?"

I didn't cry. My eyes may have stung but I refused to cry. It was a stupid habit that had died with my mom. Besides, big boys didn't cry.

She thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't think she'd want us to keep crying and crying and crying. She was always smiling, wasn't she?"

"I... guess so."

"Plus, she loved watching you fight, Ichigo. She was the one who signed you up at the dojo, right?"

Hesitant, I nodded.

"And you were a crybaby, but she still watched every match and cheered you on," she continued.

"But... to be a doctor..."

"Doctors take an oath not to kill. Nobody said anything about fighting," she rolled her eyes.

"I don't wanna hurt anybody."

Tatsuki was silent, and I thought she'd given up. "Then don't," she sighed. "But remember, if it's a choice between the people I want to protect - you, Ichigo - and anybody else, I will always choose you."

I stared at her, noticing her blush and cracked a smile. "You promise?"

"I promise."

"Sounds like you've got a crush on me," I sang cheekily.

Before I could blink, she'd whacked me hard upside the head. "Ow!" I yelped.

"Watch it, crybaby, unless you wanna fight," she threatened.

I laughed, and she did too.

I didn't like ghosts, but I sure liked Tatsuki.

"Hey, kid!"

I held back a sigh, choosing instead to turn around and answer whoever had called. I looked up, down and everywhere really, but there was nobody there - asides from a black cat. I stared at it.

"Didn't your mother ever teach you not to stare?"

I blinked at it. It's mouth had moved, and words had come out of it. The jab at my mom was studiously ignored.

"A talking... cat?" I breathed in wonder, moving towards it.

"Yes, a talking cat!"

I squatted down to its level. It rolled its eyes. "You're a talking cat."

It seemed to groan and covered one eye with a paw. "Yes, I'm a cat, and I can talk."

I stifled a laugh. "I'm Ichigo. Do you have a name?"

If this was a plus, it sure was a weird one. I'd never seen an animal ghost before though, so maybe it wasn't that bad.

"Yoruichi," it purred.

"Come home with me?"

If dad wouldn't let me keep it, Tatsuki could take it.

I'm not sure if it actually chuckled, but I liked to think not.

A/N

I'm a terrible person, I agree. Drop a comment or review please.


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto's P.O.V

In the days that followed my birthday, I remember acting very differently. I didn't speak unless spoken to and I hardly ever raised my voice. You could say I was afraid. I suspected everything, the feeling of being lied to dominating anything else.

I forgot all about being Hokage.

The academy frustrated me subtly but surely. I didn't want their recognition anymore. I wanted to be treated like anyone else, but I wasn't, and I didn't yet know why. I was determined to find out.

As embarrassing as it is to admit it, I still couldn't properly read or write, not because I was dumb, but because I'd never been taught. The clan kids - Sasuke, Kiba, Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, Choji and... oh, right, Shino - and civilian kids had all learned it before they got here, and even some techniques too.

The benefits of having a family then.

My mind flashed back to the day I ran from the Hokage, and the shed I'd accidentally stumbled into.

I'd tripped and fell a couple of times, but I kept running until I found myself at the gates of Konoha... and past it. A part of my brain remembered that there should've been guards, festival or not, but I didn't particularly care.

I'd barreled inside the shed... shack... let's call it a cabin... before I started to take notice of my surroundings. It was fairly new, without a single dust mite in sight. Walking slowly around showed that there was a small living room, a tiny bedroom, an even tinier kitchen and no bathroom.

"H-hello?"

There was no answer. It was really starting to remind me of the horror movie jiji had told me no to watch but I'd gone ahead and watched anyway, and the worst part? I had no idea how to get back.

Something shiny caught my eye as I entered the bedroom a second time; a forehead protector. It looked like Konoha's... but it was just a swirl.

"...what...?"

I made to touch it, and was thrown at the closet by an invisible force. The area around the forehead protector glowed green for a few more seconds, and then went back to normal. Like magic. My whole body hurt, and my ears were ringing, but by now my curiosity was more important. I pushed the closet door open and stared dumbly at rows of scrolls, books, brushes and... a picture book? Of course I went for the picture book. Regular books were too boring.

On the cover was a dull drawing of the moon, and the words 'Little Uzumaki '. You don't have to ask if I opened it. The first page had a picture of nine animals, with lots of tails. The second had the signs of each hidden village, with the same animals beside each one. The third had a village with redheads and floating chains, all fighting. The next showed the village destroyed and redheads scattering throughout the Elemental Nations. Then came a picture of a woman with red hair and purple eyes, with a blonde haired, blue eyed man, and a baby who had whisker marks on his face.

Whisker marks.

Whisker... marks?

I touched my cheeks.

"Just like... me."

In seconds, I was unconscious.

Naruto didn't notice the silver haired figure watching silently until he blacked out from shock. He didn't hear the person chuckle, or see them pack a few scrolls, brushes and the same picture book into a bag, or feel them lift him and body flicker back to his own apartment. He didn't know there were sealing materials next to him as he fidgeted in his sleep. He didn't know about his guardian and he didn't know that anything even remotely related to canon was about to be shot to hell.

"Uzumaki Naruto!"

I'd jumped, staring blearily around the classroom. Right. I'd dozed off during Shin-sensei's lesson. One, I didn't care, since I was dead last anyway. Two, he was boring. Three, I was having a dream about the Yondaime Hokage.

Oh, right, my dad. And to think I found that out from a book in the middle of nowhere and not from my supposed grandfather.

"-if I catch you asleep one more time -"

I could hear everyone snickering, and Sasuke's haughty chuckle - because, apparently, Uchiha do not just snicker or laugh - and studiously ignored it. Instead, I focused on Shikamaru's calm, even breathing beside me -of course Shin-sensei woke me and not him. Nara benefits are so annoying - and managed not to talk back to the teacher. It only made things worse.

"-you understand?!"

"Yes, sensei," was my response, with the most blank expression I could manage (I was getting lessons from Shika). If he was surprised, he didn't show it - ninja hack - and simply nodded, before returning to the front of the class.

"-said he's a demon-"

"-doesn't have parents too-"

"-so scary-"

"-would just die."

Choji, sitting on my other side, offered me a bag of chips. I took it, glad for the distraction. Shikamaru's knee bumped mine, and I allowed myself a smile. These two... were everything.

Fuinjutsu is hard. Very hard. Now, take that into consideration when you know that I can barely read, and my kanji is shit.

Eventually, two weeks after my little excursion, I'd gotten the nerve to open that mysterious bag in the corner. Inside it was the same picture book, scrolls, brushes, ink and a note.

'If you don't want to pass out again, learn fuinjutsu. And don't tell anyone,' it read.

Of course, I only understood 'learn fuinjutsu' and 'don't tell'. The only problem was I couldn't get into the library without a henge, and my henge sucked. Unless I'd wear a disguise... but it'd take ages for that. The next best thing was to show up at Shikamaru's house at 11am on a Saturday morning, swallow my pride, and beg him to teach me.

The glare he gave me could melt a tree. Not burn, melt.

With a long-suffering sigh, he let me in and we trudged to his room after I'd greeted his mother. She didn't like me, I knew, but she tolerated me because I was her son's friend.

"So what do you want, 'ruto?"

I felt my cheeks redden, unsure if it was from the nickname or the embarrassment.

"I can't read," I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" He fixed me with a calculating look.

"I can't read. Or write," I focused on the floorboards.

"Yeah, I know that. So?"

I groaned because of course he knew what I wanted, he was just into torture. "Can you... teach me?"

Shikamaru pretended to think. "I don't know... it could prove really troublesome..."

"I'll set Ino on you," I threatened weakly.

"You don't even talk to her," he rolled his eyes.

"Choji won't be happy to hear it," I tried again.

"Why not ask him to teach you?"

"Shikamaru, come on, I'm begging!" Finally I met his eyes.

He sniffed. "Fine, fine, you don't have to be so loud."

We erupted into laughter.

A/N

Happy Thanksgiving in arrears, if you celebrate, and Merry Christmas in advance, if you celebrate as well.

Thanks to justanidiot213, Angelicsailor and TnE00 for reviewing, and to everyone who has followed and/or favourited.

I do not own Naruto. Period.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a wonderful Saturday morning in Karakura town, as it's residents hustled about in a leisurely manner, easing into the weekend. Of course, our focus is on the Kurosaki household where Isshin and Karin were working at the clinic, Yuzu was watching cartoons and Ichigo was huddled in his closet, listening to a cat.

"-so then, the stupidly brave reaper fought Ulquiora and finally won!"

"Woah! Really?!"

Yoruichi was a very good storyteller, I'd learned, when he started to tell me tales of 'Bleach'. Dad and the twins didn't know he could talk because he always pretended not to, and it never really crossed my mind to mention it.

It was apparently all about a strawberry haired highschool student who could see pluses and became a substitute soul reaper, fighting bad guys or something.

"Yes, he was a lucky bastard," Yoruichi grumbled with a roll of his eyes. I didn't see why you would tell children a story about a hero and then get bothered about their enthusiasm, but hey, I wasn't a cat.

"Ne, Yoruichi-chan," the cat twitched because we all knew I had a thing for being cheeky, "what was his name?"

"His name...?" He observed me with a thoughtful look. "His name was Kurosaki Ichigo."

What.

"What?" I blinked, dumbfounded.

Yoruichi laughed with a sharp glint in his eyes. "You must really have been hit hard if you don't remember your own life story when you hear it, Ichigo."

An hour later, I stood in front of the now closed Urahara shop, where Yoruichi had disappeared into once we arrived. After dropping that bombshell, he'd led me to the shop because apparently I could "get all the answers we sought".

I thought he was messing with me. I was pretty sure Tatsuki would agree.

"Welcome, Kurosaki!" A voice boomed as the doors suddenly slammed open. A tall, dark skinned man with cornrows, wearing glasses and an apron struck a pose. "Would you like some candy?!"

"I don't like candy," I declared with a sniff, which was a lie. "And where's Yoruichi-chan anyway?"

"Maa, maa, Yoruichi, are you sure he doesn't remember you?" Another man seemed to giggle behind his fan. His geta sandals clicked as he walked towards me, and I personally thought it was weird how his hat covered his eyes.

He squatted down in front of us, with what looked like a welcoming smile. "Ohayo, Ichigo. I am Urahara, and that is my assistant, Tessai-san."

I wrinkled my nose. "Yoruichi's your pet? You smell funny. Like Tatsuki's grandma's room. How old are you anyway?"

"Ha!" A woman snarked, sitting on the roof. She had purple hair and the same eyes as Yoruichi. "Believe me now, Kisuke?"

Urahara frowned at her.

"What did Yoruichi mean when he said I'd hit my head?" Was the next thing I asked.

He observed me for a minute, thinking. He sighed. "During your battle with Aizen, he was losing. Horribly. So he did something - we don't know what - and somehow the clock of life rewound."

I stared. "You're saying I fought the leader of the Espada

\- apparently - and then we all went back ten years in the past."

A beat.

"Yes, that's exactly what we're saying," Tessai said.

A short laugh escaped me. "Prove it."

Of all the things Urahara showed me, it was a tiny lion plushie that jogged my memory. 'Kon' lunged for me, ranting and crying about how much he'd missed me and how young and adorable I looked. It was... jarring.

Urahara said he would continue to hold onto him until I was ready to take him - much to the mod soul's despair. It couldn't be helped though. Yuzu would snatch the toy the minute I brought it through the door and that would definitely not be ideal.

Yoruichi was apparently a female. And an exiled noble. And a former captain. Most importantly, the cat was a woman. Which I found incredibly creepy.

And my father was a shinigami. That blew every other discovery out of the water. To confront him or not to confront him, that was the question.

I knew what was most likely to happen in the future now. I'd meet a reaper named Rukia, become a reaper too - a substitute reaper but whatever - and try to save her, alongside Chad, Ishida and Orihime, and-

No Tatsuki. My 'future' didn't seem to involve Tatsuki, and that's what made me pause. I refused to do it all over without her.

In hindsight, maybe climbing through her bedroom window and offloading all I'd heard in the past twelve hours wasn't such a good idea.

Her first instinct was to kick me out, literally. She then hurried to the window, realizing what she'd done. I'd somewhat expected that, so I managed not to break anything and climbed up again.

Tatsuki scanned me for injuries, probably feeling guilty even though she would never admit it. Dad called her a tsundere for that reason, but whatever.

"What was that about a talking cat?"

Oh, yeah. It was rather convenient that Yoruichi was never around whenever my best - and only - friend came over. This meant I'd never told Tatsuki about him - her - because there was no use without any proof.

Ghosts, she could grasp ( and I think spending so much time around me had made it so that she could at least see vague outlines of ghosts), but talking animals? No.

Regardless, I told her the whole story, from the day I found the cat-woman-ex-captain, to the tales of 'Bleach' and visiting the Urahara shop earlier today.

As expected, she stayed quiet, maybe wondering if I'd hit my head somewhere on the way to her house.

"Look-"

"I believe you, Ichigo," she cut me off. "It all sounds hilariously insane, but you're not one to make things up. Heck, I don't think your brain could handle it -"

"Hey!"

"- but there's one problem."

I nearly shivered at her expression. Serious Tatsuki was scary. Nevermind that I was technically older by a year.

"Isn't this all part of Aizen's plan? Maybe some last-ditch effort to plan ahead and beat you this time?"

"I don't think so. Urahara said it didn't look planned. He was desperate.

It made sense. A lot of sense. By that logic, though...

"Wouldn't all of the Gotei 13 remember that he was a traitor and have him killed immediately?"

I hummed as she settled down next to me at the foot of her bed. "They don't though, which means only a few people do remember. Maybe people I had the most contact with?"

"So, Rukia, Renji, Urahara, Yoruichi, Tessai, the Vizard...?

"I'd say Orihime, Chad and Ishida too. The first two, probably not, but Ishida's a Quincy. He should know... something. Anything," I'd continued.

"I guess I won't fit in your life anymore, huh?" Tatsuki sighed, looking out of her window.

I turned sharply to look at her because that was the entire reason I'd come in the first place. "You will. You always will."

"Not according to your story," was her counter.

"My story didn't say anything about being approached by Yoruichi the first time around. It's changing already," I threw back.

"Hey, hey, don't get mad at me," her lips pulled down in what almost looked like a pout.

I huffed, turning away. I wasn't ashamed to sulk. I mean, I already had a reputation as a crybaby, didn't I?

There was silence for a short while.

"Do you think Urahara could start training you a little early? And... maybe train me too?"

"...maybe," I agreed.

I went home not long after, my head spinning with everything I'd learned.

There was no guarantee that everything would happen exactly the way it had the first time around. Whether it did or not, I had to be prepared.

I have destroyed most of the plot already. Oh, well.

Greetings!

I apologise for my long disappearance. Writer's block aside, I've finally graduated high school and I'm taking a sort of... gap year, so I'll have a lot more time on my hands.

Thanks to all who've followed, added this to their reading lists and so on and so forth. Please don't forget to review/comment.

(I can promise updates twice a month). Have a pleasant day/night!


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